1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sock having a concealed pocket for storage of small items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When jogging or exercising, people tend to wear athletic clothing such as shorts and tee-shirts, which are generally not provided with practical pockets. When jogging through a park, for example, a person would want to carry his house keys with him, and in a public gym, a person may be hesitant to leave keys or valuables in a locker. Even if shorts are provided with pockets, the normal motions of a person jogging or exercising are likely to cause keys, coins, or a wallet to fall out of the pocket and become lost.
There may also be many other times a sock with a pocket may be convenient, and the invention is not limited to any particular use. For example, the sock of the present invention could be used under ordinary clothing to conceal valuables, much as one would wear a money belt.
A list of prior patents which concern pockets in socks is cited as follows:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee(s) Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,005,494 Burn 02/01/77 4,038,699 Burn 08/02/77 4,428,080 Takamatsu 01/31/84 4,445,233 Rubin 05/01/84 4,498,200 Livingstone 02/12/85 4,961,235 Williger 10/09/90 5,027,440 Morris et. al. 07/02/91 5,133,091 Mas 07/28/92 5,157,791 Woodson et. al. 10/27/92 ______________________________________
Frequently, the pocket is either formed with or stitched inside the hosiery or sock. There is an opening, in the form of a slit, for example, in the sock which communicates into the pocket, and the opening is closed by an appropriate closure, such as laces, a zipper, a snap fastening, etc.
Hosiery typically is of stretchable material. When a pocket is attached inside a sock, it is often stitched to the sock around at least some margins of the pocket. This may be aesthetically displeasing. Also, the stitching of the substantially less stretchable pocket to the stretchable sock may interfere with the normal stretching of the sock in the vicinity of the pocket which occurs during wearing, and may perhaps lead to tearing of the sock at the stitching, tearing of the pocket or deforming of the stretched sock in the vicinity of the stitching.
In general, socks having a concealable pocket, pouch or compartment at the uppermost, calf portion of the sock involve specialized constructions which result in considerable manufacturing cost, or discomfort during use, or manipulative difficulty of utilization.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a stretchable sock of knitted construction having a calf portion containing a concealed pocket.
It is another object of this invention to provide a sock as in the foregoing object wherein the pocket does not cause discomfort to the user or deformation of the sock.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sock of the aforesaid nature wherein said pocket is large enough to hold sizable objects.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a sock of the aforesaid nature wherein said pocket and objects therein are easily accessible.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide sock of the aforesaid nature of durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.